Originally posted by Aristophanes AF may reach parity between CDAF and PDAF, but it's visual acuity through the VF that's going to make or break the OVF. EVF's are not there. A great many people have a strong, visceral reaction to EVF's. Even in high-end videocams the EVF is often panned (sic) for the flip-down LCD. I've used the Sony's and they have their advantages (HUD) some of which are also distractions. But their lag and tearing and smearing are very, very distracting. A straight optical path is still the lowest cost, easiest and truest way to frame a photo.
The situations with EVFs reminds me of touch screens on phones. I found them annoying and frustrating to use until one day I tried an iPhone and it was fine. It was just a cumulation of improvements in processor speed and screen quality. I think EVFs will quite soon reach a stage where their lag is imperceptible and the dynamic range is close enough to satisfy most users. Then you are left with a long list of advantages that EVFs have over OVFs - both for users and manufacturers.
- More flexibility/customisation in what is displayed (magnification, peaking, histogram, picture review, etc.)
- More accurate AF (potentially equal to or faster than DSLR PDAF with new sensors)
- Continuous AF in video mode
- No need for calibration / no risk of misalignment due to impact (reduced cost)
- Far fewer moving parts and optical elements required (reduced cost)
- Design flexibility (placement of viewfinder, no viewfinder at all)
- No mirror shock and less noise
- Viewfinder size not limited by image circle
- Possibility to reduce flange distance and create smaller cameras
EVFs don't need to match OVFs in all aspects, they just need to become more attractive overall. So that's why I'm optimistic.
I'm not sure about the comparative cost of OVFs vs. EVFs, but I read somewhere that mirroless camras have only 40% the number of parts that a DSLR has. That must end up reducing cost overall. Imagine if a FF mirrorless were launched at a similar cost to the K-5 when it was released. If F2.8 zooms were available from the start, it would be taken more seriously than any other mirrorless camera to date.